Color profile and eye strain

Sleep probably wasn’t applying a special “comfortable” profile. It may have been clearing a calibration adjustment, which made the screen look different. The update could have changed how that adjustment is restored after waking.

Start by checking the profile assigned to your monitor:

1. Press Win + R, type colorcpl, and press Enter.
2. Under Devices, select the correct monitor. Take a screenshot of the listed profiles and which one is the default so you can restore the original settings.
3. If a custom or manufacturer profile is selected, try Use my settings for this device > Add > sRGB IEC61966-2.1, then select it and choose Set as Default Profile.

This is a comparison test, not a guarantee of accurate colour for your monitor. If it looks worse or makes no difference, restore the previous default.

Also check NVIDIA Control Panel > Display > Adjust desktop color settings. If brightness, contrast, or gamma have been customized there, record the current values and try restoring that page’s defaults. Change one thing at a time so you can tell what helps.

If HDR is enabled under Settings > System > Display > HDR, try turning it off separately. HDR changes how brightness and colour are handled, so an ordinary colour-profile change may not recreate the appearance you remember.

Once you find a comfortable setting, keep it directly rather than relying on sleep to disable something. Lowering the monitor’s own brightness may also help, especially if white backgrounds feel glaring.